Microsoft’s voice-activated search and productivity tool is almost certainly the killer app of Windows Phone 8.1. Cortana is served by Bing search, which considerably enhances Windows Phone, and brought to life by Halo actress Jen Taylor. In fact, Cortana is based on the advanced in-game AI from Halo, also called Cortana.

If Halo is somehow new to you, this is a very good place to start chatting with your phone.

What Cortana Can Tell You About Halo

Not everyone has played Halo. Crazy, I know, but it’s true. You might even be one of those who isn’t aware of the game, or Cortana’s role in it. So what better way to break the ice than to ask your digital assistant about her part in one of the most successful game series of all time?

You can ask Cortana the basic question “What is Halo?” or even quiz her on her relationship with Master Chief (“Do you love Master Chief?”).

Furthermore, questions about Halo 5 (“Tell me about Halo 5”, “Are you dead?”, “Are you in Halo 5?”) can also be attempted – without much luck – and you can quiz Cortana on Doctor Halsey (“Who is Doctor Halsey?”).

If you didn’t know about Halo before, you certainly will now!

Cortana The Entertainer

Although we already know she can sing, Cortana is also capable of a couple of other party tricks. One of these is actually really funny, but we’ll leave it to you to find out which one…

You can also ask Cortana “Tell me a story.” That voice should certainly soothe you to sleep at night…

Cortana is programmed to respond to a number of, um, personal comments.

You can also ask her “Do you love me?”, tell her “I love you” and even propose marriage (“Will you marry me?”, “marry me”). We wouldn’t want to spoil any more, but her response to “Talk dirty to me” is marvellous, while Cortana also has responses to “Am I beautiful?”, “Cortana, I’m lonely,” and “Am I ugly?”

Life, The Universe And Everything

You can even get into some vaguely philosophical discussions with your Windows Phone 8.1 digital assistant. These are ideal for when you’ve had one too many drinks and you’re home alone, and include a lovely reference to one of the 20th century’s greatest writers, Douglas Adams.

You might, for instance, ask “Do you love Siri?” or “Do you sleep?” You could also quiz Cortana “Are you drunk?” or get personal with “How old are you?” or “Are you warm/cold blooded?”

You’ll notice from the screenshots above that the same questions can yield multiple answers. “What is the meaning of life?” is a particularly good example of this. Conversely, “Can I borrow some money?” won’t.

Show Cortana Your Appreciation

It’s nice to be nice. And as Cortana can hear you, we should pretend that she has something approaching feelings. After all, manners cost nothing. So, you might tell her “You are the best assistant ever,” “You are awesome”, or even the simpler “You’re cool.”

Actually, when you’re using Cortana for the usual day-to-day tasks, it really is good to thank her afterwards. She responds, and it feels as though you’re talking to a real assistant. Of course, there’s no compulsion to do this, but it helps complete the illusion. Cortana can do many of the things a flesh and blood assistant can do, so why not?

Conclusion: Time To Get Chatting

Whether you’re already chatting with your Windows Phone 8.1 digital assistant or you’re just trying to get to grips with the whole idea of Cortana, these conversation starters are a great way to appreciate the possibilities – or just kill a few moments.

Have you had any great Cortana moments? Is there an exchange you’ve had that we haven’t included here? Leave a comment and let us know!

Hate to break it to you, over 90% of secretaries are female. That's just a modern day fact.
And personally im fine with that, Cortana is one of the coolest characters that microsoft could have used, she has a history and an already existing character. Assuming you have never played a halo game, let alone the latest installment, im sure you dont know -Spoiler- "she was recently killed off and its a way she can live on in our nerdy little hearts"

Cite your source for that "90%" and quit making the rest of men look like bigots.

I am partially surprised I haven't found a way to switch the voice yet, Prattle On. Siri default is a female voice, but you can change it. Please realize, however, that given the success of one of their flagships (Halo), Microsoft saw fit to tie it in and make a Window's Phone or Computer appealing to a larger number of people by grabbing those Halo fans that might lean more toward an Apple device. Try to look at the big picture as well as your own viewpoint.

LOL. Don't worry too much Christian, it's just one of those rogue, Tumblr feminist and their tendency to jump on top of anything that remotely resembles "gender inequality". Soon it will get to the point where they will scream and jump every time women are involved in articles and videos.

Lumia 520 is permanently on sale for about $50 - http://amzn.com/B00E45043A - and can be upgraded to 8.1 (with Cortana). You don't need any sim card or service to use it with WiFi or as a mp3 player (it accepts microSD cards, too). For the price it can even work as a cheap security camera with motion detection.

@Ekus: Great minds must run in the same circles. I did exactly that about three weeks ago. Cortana is indeed awesome but I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get the cool blue avatar that I've seen most places where Cortana is discussed. :-)

I also wanted to get a better idea of what Windows phone is all about but haven't yet done much much with it other than Cortana. Your suggestion of using the phone as a security camera is an excellent one. Got a link on how to do that?

Christian Cawley is a Deputy Editor at MakeUseOf, covering security, Linux, DIY and programming. He has extensive experience in IT desktop and software support. Christian is a regular contributor to Linux User & Developer, as well as a number of specials from Future Publishing, including Raspberry Pi for Beginners, The…